The thing about keirei to Me is that they do love and care about eachother, but in a way that has a fundamental disconnect. I Will Elaborate.
Keito -> Rei
He can't see Rei as his equal. He struggles with humanizing Rei in his mind because of how high up on a pedestal he's put him. Rei was like his personal deity, and in a combination of reliance and hubris, he tried to use Rei like. Nobita did to Doraemon. (if that makes sense lol) Someone who had all of the answers and who could give him the gadgets he needed to solve any problem. To him, an existence like Rei is unreachable, but it is also worthy of centering a narrative off of. Rei is a great character. But he's not often aware of how dehumanizing that feels to Rei.
Rei -> Keito
That is his Dear childhood friend. Crossroad is about him realizing his friend didn't see him as an equal human. He even states that at one point, he'd held Keito to the same degree of closeness as Ritsu. And we know that he Yearns for a true friendship with Keito, but he's scared of reconnecting and reaching out, because theres a chance that Keito still doesn't see him as a human. It's why he's so unnecessarily roundabout with Keito, why he speaks harshly at times and kicks him away. He doesn't feel like he can help Keito in the same way normal friends do. He wants Keito to be a character in his own story, and also doesn't want to be written into another one. It's selfish of him to crave that, he knows.
This is why he seemed to defy the script in Succession Match too. It came from a place of care and longing. In Altered, Rei states that he played along with the Story that Keito and Eichi created out of a fondness for its writers (paraphrasing a bit), but that was a story that had large implications.
On the stage of the restoration live, where it's just the two of them in their own little world in a way, they can battle and bicker like kids with capes and large sticks, and Rei can relive the days where Keito would debate him relentlessly, face to face.
In all seriousness though, I did go on a rambling analysis of his character arc through the years, that you can read down here.
I hope people can appreciate the surprising nuance that he holds, since he's not often discussed!
I wanted to talk a bit about Kuro's character growth through the years, as it is his birthday, since I feel like it goes unnoticed by people most of the time!
Kuro, as we know, is a character that is a reformed Delinquent. One of the running themes of his Character is his self-worth, his regret, and his complex feelings surrounding how people perceive him.
(I also want to pen down my thoughts on the gender aspect of this later)
His 'atonement' arc begins with him applying to Yumenosaki, a place where he could hopefully become An idol that would make his little sister smile. At the time of his enrollment, however, Yumenosaki was not a place of serious study and passion.
Already we can see his core character traits emergent in this decision: His love for his family, His rash decision making and, Most importantly, his desperate desire to change, something, anything.
(In the interest of keeping this brief I will not prattle on too much about Keito Hasumi's involvement. Another time.)
Kuro was, and kind of still is, grappling with grief. Not just for his mother, but Also for himself. He lost himself, in a way. He missed out that normal life, on being a normal brother for his sister, on being a good son to his Mother and a good friend to Shu.
All of his mistakes overwhelm him, he's paralyzed by how badly he's screwed up, and thus resorts to Passive self harm, in an attempt to tip the scales, somehow. If he lets enough people punch him, he might feel like he deserves to have anything.
I cannot stress enough how bad his self-worth issues are. They are arguably the worst in Akatsuki, and that is Saying Something.
Now, after he joins Akatsuki and the war reaches his conclusion, he's decided to swing in the complete opposite way.
This is what I feel is less discussed, his tendency to mask his discomfort and extreme adaptability. He consistently lowers himself, and by consequence, his Own preferences and needs in order to compensate for a variety of things, like:
- His appearance
- His natural temperament and behavior
- His masculinity (again, thoughts to chew on another time)
This is why I really like Kuro's FS1. It marks his growth in !! Era. In ! Era he was extremely ashamed of his past and actively swallowed down most of his irritation, because he was afraid of what would happen if he got angry. He channels that energy into sewing and Karate instead.
He's trying so hard, to be a perfect Senpai, to live up to his Own view of what a 'good person' is: Someone who is unconditionally loving, forgiving and kind, someone who is... Mother-like. I think about that time he said that a Mother is a transcendent being, quite a bit. It reveals so much.
In Unification By Force, we see him finally snap, lash out at Keito, someone who he had repeatedly reassured that he'd listen to, be obedient to. He immediately regrets it, but it also causes him to contemplate their relationship, and more importantly his relationship with his past.
Kuro is coming to terms with the fact he will never be A good, perfect, shiny person. That people like Keito, Souma, Chiaki and Nazuna, that he idolized in a way, are not good people.
You can never become a 'good person', because the only one that can truly evaluate that is yourself, and if you are predisposed to dislike yourself, You can pretty much kiss that title goodbye.
He... Isn't endlessly kind, or tolerant, or polished. His designs that got rejected, came from a suppression of himself, and it showed in his work. He's rash, stubborn at times, airheaded, speaks crudely and brute forces his way Through things frequently. Even though he hates them, these things are what make him Kuro, Even his delinquent past.
And the Kuro he is today, is loved by so many people, who remind him daily, and they wouldn't love him if he wasn't himself in the first place, blood on his hands and all.
He knows as much, when he acknowledges Keito and Souma's patience in response to his ugly side. The fact that both of them are easily able to forgive and remedy their relationship speaks volumes for how much Kuro means to them, and it finally clicks for Kuro.
He doesn't have to overcompensate. He can't pretend that he never made a mistake, but he can't let it control him. He has to come to terms with his past, and his own self and appearance.
The people that care about him are able to immediately identify when his Outfit concept is Forced looking. His final outfit design is him coming to terms with this. It wouldn't have been the same, had they decided to go with the cute stuff that most people wanted. It wouldn't have been Kuro.
In conclusion, I love Kuro Kiryu and his unending drive to be a better person and his care for other people and his journey through grief and self-love and think people should love him for more than just how wife-material he is! He is so compelling!
Dominant Blade and Fist is a perfect event to me but i understand how it can feel confusing and regressive(?) if you haven't kept up with the Akatsuki stories, and it probably would've benefited from a chapter where Souma and Keito do the stuff they talk about in the end.
A really, unfortunately common sentiment is that Souma and Kuro are being held back/used by Keito, and that Keito becoming involved is a negative, because he can get overprotective and controlling, but it's never been as simple as that. Never trust the enstars unreliable narrator, especially Kuro Kiryu, in this particular story.
The thing about Kuro Kiryu, is that he... Self-harms in a way. When he feels hopeless and depressed, he digs a deeper hole to die in. He becomes sacrificial, resentful and pessimistic.
The vibes are so rancid that they replicate the ones that the audience in Kanatas execution.
Kuro is absolutely right when he monologues about his dependency on Keito. It's true that to an extent, they've still been letting Keito do the heavy lifting in terms of unit proposals.
However, the one time he tries to help out, his outfits end up becoming the critical weakness.
He's not good enough, Akatsuki isn't good enough. This is like. Factual. They cannot compete with full on traditional performers, and traditional idols. They're starting at the bottom.
Unfortunately, this is a lot for Kuro, who gets stuck in his own head, to bear. He immediately sticks himself in an extreme line of thinking. That his dependence on Keito is a complete weakness and flaw,
And once again, while this is true to an extent, it isn't to the extremes that Kuro is seeing it.
And well, He avoids Keito because Keito would tell him as much. (Unfortunately, Hasumi is right again lol. You can't take on the burdens of the world on your own, Kiryu!)
Instead, Kuro turns to Souma, another person that Keito 'protects'. He asks Souma, isn't it unfair that Hasumi does all the thinking?
And... Souma is inclined to agree! I mean, he's being left out of the unit conflict and proposals.
However, one thing about Souma
He LOVES akatsuki. He loves when all three of them perform, side by side. And he recognizes, when Kuro relays his plan, that Kuro is self-destructing.
I mean, if it wasn't obvious that Kuro's plan is a form of self-deprecating it should be via the references to the Ryuuousen, and the fact that it's centered on making a power grab, regressing to their old platform at Yumenosaki.
He's going to villainize himself, take all the blame, so that Akatsuki can regain their 'power'. And they'll do it WITHOUT Keito, to protect Keito, to prove themselves.
But... Souma can't let that happen. Because it would mean the end of the Akatsuki he loves.
So he fights to protect Akatsuki, for three whole days, he does nothing but dodge and take hits, not even fighting back, until Kuro is exhausted.
When he wins, he brings Keito back into the picture. And they still go through with Kuro's plan, but they do it together, with the goal of trying new things, using Yumenosaki as grounds for experiments, having fun.
And at the end of it, Kuro is able to come to terms with the fact that he's not 'perfect', and that he's going to make mistakes. But he won't stop fighting and let himself fall. He'll be reborn through his struggles.
And he wants Keito and Souma right there with him. To watch him grow into someone he can be proud of.
Because at the end of the day, they're barely adults. And it's not fair to expect them to be the Best. They have to become okay with the process of learning their ABCs.
And MOST IMPORTANTLY. That they're there for eachother, to rely on, to work together with. With Keito's help, they were able to rework the plan into something that allowed them more freedom than they agency ever granted. And Keito also held back and let them take charge.
Akatsuki is a three person unit! It's always been! It's a three person unit of three people that have shouldered so much responsibility, have had to mature so fast,
Learning their ABCs all over again, with eachother :) akatsuki iroha uta
I keep thinking about how much family means to Kuro, how he's consistently usually the one initiating the entire 'family' thing in Akatsuki and then... danna. There's so much yearning in that stupid nickname and Keito does not even know.
Kuro and his fixation on family and wow his use of an ambiguous term that Could refer to and authority figure but also has familial implications because that's what he wants sooo bad.
This scene is super gay but it's also a little more than that.
He's playing house in his head and he's the Mother, because in his little fantasy world with Keito and Souma he can be a Mother and not a 'Man', for as much as Akatsuki touts it's 'masculinity', it's still a group that doesn't care for it much more than for performative purposes.
Do I think Kuro Suffers from Gender Envy? Yes. Do I think he knows? No. Will he ever Know? I don't think so, but he's having a Time about it.
(Also something to note that while people usually think of transness whenever gender envy is brought up, in this case I'm not implying that he is trans, or that transitioning would be best for him. Although you can run w that too- I like transfem kuro- but cis people can also have Relationships with their gender)
Kuro's gender is like. Big Brother-Mother. it's heavily connected to 'familial roles' and therefore his relationships with other people. So when he positions himself as the 'mother' of Akatsuki, it's more than just cheap queerbait, it's a performance of his gender. He uses 'husband' as a nickname for Keito with a clear implication that he's the 'wife'. One of the biggest reasons he began following Keito is because he was so much 'like a mom', Kuro very clearly aspires to be that way even though he's acknowledged that he'd never be able to reach that revered status if he tried.
It's not a clear cut connection to masc/femininity with him, it's about the connection between those genders and their 'roles' in a household, because family is one of the most important things to him.
I don't think anyone in canon really gets it yet, they haven't connected to dots. At most it'll be used as a lighthearted joke. But Kuro Suffers from toxic masculinity and having that be pushed onto him quite a bit. He associates masculinity with aggression, and fighting. Unlike a lot of the more masculine characters, he prefers to offer 'care' instead of 'protection', a clear lean to what society perceives as more feminine.
Akatsuki as a 'family' is more than just a Fanon thing, it's a genuine source of comfort for Kuro. Writing it off as fanon completely, or a solely detrimental thing feels kind of contrarian for the sake of it.
Anyways that was just my little thinkpiece of Kuro's gender. I think transfem Kuro is fun I think all Kuro gender headcanons are fun but canon has so much for me already, and Kuro is unique in that his relationship to gender is linked not to himself, but to his relationships and enforced roles.
A week or two ago there was a community discussion going on about enstars names, so naturally, I had to pitch in with my tinfoil hat and corkboard, to make it all about akatsuki.
The lotus analogy is frequently used with Keito, to describe his unwavering resolve and morals. I know most people don't think of Keito when they think of snakes (they tend to think of Ibara, who fits the Christian Snake-Person archetype) but in Buddhism, Snakes are a symbol of rebirth.
蓮巳 敬人 (Hasumi Keito) can be directly translated to something like: "Lotus Snake Respected Person"
They're also heavily associated with bodies of water, something that you might see crop up with him a lot. As for his first name, the Respect part is pretty obvious, referencing his strict personality, but what I really like is the little 人 character. Recognize it? Yup its the symbol that's used in-game for fans. It basically just means 'person'.
There's the undeniably human part of Keito Hasumi, the one that he can never escape, and that encapsulates him. Maybe at a time it filled him with despair, but what is mankind if not propelled by Hubris?
He's the Guy Ever.
Souma's name is interesting (神崎 颯馬) Because Kanzaki is a real last name. There isn't much connection to his character as far as I've looked into the origins of it though.
You could translate Souma's name directly into something like: Coastal God Swift Horse
神 is literally the character for God (kami). 崎 means peninsula, but coast also works. This is pretty blatantly a reference to his family's entanglement with the Shinkai Cult. It's impressive to see the foreshadowing with his name.
颯馬 (swift horse) referencing his affinity for horses. Also neat that he owns and rides one (shout out to saigo-don) . 馬 also generally means 'steed', which ties into his tendency to become a vehicle for other people's wishes. His lack of independence, his desire to be relied upon. He's good at doing what he's told, just like a well tamed horse.
鬼龍 紅郎 can literally be translated to (Oni Dragon Crimson Guy)
Okay so Oni are an interesting creature mythologically speaking, because firstly, they're intelligent 'evils', and their symbolic meaning varies largely. I'll jot down the possible connections to Kuro in bullets.
• Come in the color red
• Humanoid, scary, intimidating
• Can be reformed and converted into Buddhism (we'll discuss this later)
• sometimes used as a guardian symbol
Dragons are also similarly intimidating creatures but they have more positive connotations! They're viewed as Guardians and symbols of strength. They're also associated with guarding water bodies (I hope you're picking up what I'm putting down)
The 紅 in Kuro is a character you'll find appears frequently in Akatsuki's discography and name. I like to theorize that Kuro was the reason Keito named it 紅月 and not 赤月, even though they basically both mean 'red moon' and 赤月 is the more Obvious name choice.
Kuro's name is also a bit of a pun, because although it means red, kuro (黒) means black. His hair. Leo calls him 黒 when he's gloomy lol.
Trivia/Symbolism corner! A lot of this is just my theories.
Oni are commonly depicted wearing tiger skin clothing and carrying an iron club. Sound familiar? Tetora's name (鉄虎) literally means Iron Tiger.
Souma displays an affinity for sea and water animals, Kanata has the kanji for 'deep-sea' in his name (深海) Keito is more representative of shallow waters (think of a Lotus filled pond). Souma has his loyalties torn between two water bodies, which is very neat.
Souma switches loyalties from Kanata to Keito... he's 'surfacing'
(Kind of like a turtle)
Summer bird features this huge swathe of shallow water and a bird taking flight into the sky, maybe Because he's becoming independent of those figures and exploring his own aspirations.
The fact that 鬼 in Chinese means 'ghost' and then you have akatsuki mortality trio again with 鬼 (ghost/soul) 神 (god/immortal) 人 (mortal)
Coming back to akatsuki and Water, there's 蓮巳 which evokes the image of a pond, 龍 which guard bodies of water.
Kind of like how Kuro was Keito's physical shield during the war. Both snakes and dragons are used interchangeably on occasion as 'guardian' motifs in temples.
of course 紅蓮, which means red lotus or just a way to refer to a layer of hell in Buddhism. Hell couple
The idea that Oni can be converted to Buddhism, kind of parallels Kuro leaving his delinquent lifestyle behind to follow Keito, the Buddhism Guy. In Unification by force, Souma even points out that Kuro has been copying keito and saying prayers before he eats.
Kuro's themes of self-improvement and his 'Soul' motif. the Buddhist idea of refining the immortal soul into its best self.
That's all I can think of, feel free to point out any inaccuracies and I'll edit the post ASAP.
